74 



NATURE 



[March 2^, 1919 



depressions over the British Isles and the adjacent 

 parts of the Continent indicates a north-easterly track 

 for the storm areas, and the Western Front appears 

 to have escaped the passage of the storm centres. 

 October was "dull, damp, and sunless." The rainfall 

 was moderate, but the number of rain-days was exces- 

 sive over the British Isles. Similarly, unsettled 

 weather was, without doubt, experienced over 

 Flanders. Notwithstanding almost incessant adverse 

 weather controls, " there runs the splendid story of 

 the advance of the Allied troops . . . one despatch 

 (September 12) mentioned the pouring rains which 

 forced the Allied airmen to cease their punishment of 

 the Germans." The stormy and wet weather also 

 greatly handicapped the activity of the Tanks, In 

 the latter part of the autumn, and especially just prior 

 to the armistice, fog was very prevalent, but it did 

 not always prove adverse to the advance of the Allies, 

 nlthough at times it aided the retreating enemy, 

 .Short dry and fine spells intervening were very favour- 

 able controls, aiding the advance of the Allies in every 

 way. 



There was little activity on the Italian Front until 

 late in October, and Prof. Ward states that "the 

 reason for beginning the offensive at that time was 

 doubtless to be sought in the political condition of 

 Austria-Hungary." Military operations on this front 

 ended on November 4. 



In Palestine and Mesopotamia the co-ordinated move- 

 ments of the Allied forces in the autumn led to the 

 defeat of the Turkish armies, and Turkey was driven 

 to surrender. 



It would be a valuable scientific asset to have the 

 "Weather Controls" by the author throughout the 

 war brought together and published collectively. 



C. H. 



THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL 

 MUSEUM.''- 



''pHE volume before us — the last report submitted 

 -»• by the late Dr. Rathbun as assistant secretary 

 of the United States National Museum — contains no 

 general observations of a striking character, but re- 

 counts a large amount of valuable work. There is a 

 long list of accessions, but the numbers have not 

 been summarised. From among them it is not easy 

 to make a selection, but the following seem to be of 

 superior importance : — ^The Julius Hurter bequest of 

 3575 reptiles and batrachians, comprising the material 

 for Mr. Hurter's " Herpetology of Missouri" (1911), 

 as well as many genera and species new to the 

 museum; all are good specimens, and beautifully pre- 

 pared. The Biltmore herbarium, or so much of it as 

 was saved from the flood of July, 19 16, presented by 

 the widow of its founder, the late George W. Vander- 

 bilt; the 25,000 specimens saved include many types 

 of Crataegus species. The private collection of crj'pto- 

 gams formed and presented by Prof. O. F. Cook, 

 and numbering about 15,000 specimens. The fine col- 

 lection of meteorites brought together by Dr. 

 Charles U. Shepard, and bequeathed by his son ; it 

 represents 238 falls and finds, some of exceptional 

 interest. Dr. Shepard 's extensive collection of 

 minerals and gems remains on deposit In the museum, 

 which is a conditional legatee. 



As Dr. Rathbun most truthfully says in his intro- 

 duction, "the importance of public collections rests, 

 not upon the number of specimens, but upon the use 

 to which they are put." On the educational side the 

 United States National Museum pays great attention 



V Report on the Proijre'is and Condition of the United States National 

 Museum for the Year ending June 30, 1917. Pp. 184. (Washington: 

 Smithsonian Institution, 1918.) 



NO. 2578, VOL. 103] 



to the adequate selection, mounting, and labelling of 

 objects. Of late it has done a good deal by way of 

 models. We read here of a model showing the geologv 

 of a coral island, beside which has been erected a real 

 fossil coral reef obtained from the Carboniferous rocks 

 of Kentucky. In the court containing the wood col- 

 lection are two new models of diverse character. One 

 is part of a national forest, on a scale of 1/300, and 

 measuring 12 ft. by 15 ft., designed to show the 

 various uses of such forests and their administration. 

 The other illustrates a modern plant for the preserva- 

 tive treatment of railway timber. Another model, 

 16 ft. by 19 ft., reproduces the works of the Bingham 

 Cafion Copper Property, where lean copper ore of 

 the disseminated type is now being worked at a profit. 

 Other models illustrate the manufacture of white lead, 

 and the mode of occurrence, recovery, and preparation 

 of tin, sulphur, asphalt, lime, and oil. These latter, 

 with their associated exhibits, eighteen in all, have 

 been planned to convey an understanding of the 

 various industries based on the mineral resources of 

 the country. Others are in preparation, and explana- 

 tory bulletins are being widely distributed. 



Another valuable series of exhibits peculiar to this 

 museum is the collection illustrating the history of 

 photography from the earliest times. We allude to 

 this here because the report records the death of 

 Mr. Thomas W. Smillie, who since 1871 had been the 

 museum photographer. The enormous advantage to 

 the educational and research work of a museum in 

 having, not merely a ohotographic laboratory, but also 

 a trained man of science at its head, can be but dimly 

 apprehended by museum-workers in this country, so 

 far are they from any approach to this. 



This leads us to the second great use of the col- 

 lections — namely, as the basis of research. The 

 report contains, in thirty-seven double-columned 

 pages, a "classified list of papers based wholly or 

 in part on the national collections." A useful feature 

 is the precis attached to many of the entries. In 

 the account of work done v/e are glad to note the 

 friendly co-operation between the National Museum 

 of the United States and that of this country, as 

 exemplified in Mr. Oldfield Thomas's study of the 

 South American mammals. 



Any comparison of the scientific output of these two 

 museums would be a difficult matter, but we cannot 

 refrain from noting that the purely natural history 

 staff at Washington numbers fifty-two (exclusive of 

 associates and honorary helpers), whereas that at our 

 Natural History Museum is only forty-two. 



THE PROBLEM OF RADIO-ACTIVE 



LEAD.^ 



I. 



E meet to-day with happiness which six months 

 ago would have seemed beyond the bounds of 

 reasonable hope. After anxious months the con- 

 fidently awaited victory, which last spring still seemed 

 far away, has crowned the cause of justice, truth, 

 and liberty. We in America rejoice that this cause is 

 our cause, and that at the most critical time we were 

 able to render effective help to the staunch and brave 

 Allied forces which had fought so long and so nobly. 



The object of this address is not, however, to 

 appraise the military issues of the great war so for- 

 tunately ending, or to deal with the weighty inter- 

 national problems now faced by the world, but rather 

 to bring before you other considerations, having to 

 do with the advancement of science. 



1 Presidential address to the American Association for the Advancement 

 of Science, Baltimore, December, 1918, by Prot Theodore W. Richards. 



W 



